Over the past two decades, China has quietly eclipsed the United States as the dominant trading partner in parts of Latin America.

But since taking office for a second term, United States President Donald Trump has pushed to reverse Beijing’s advance.

That includes through aggressive manoeuvres directed at China’s allies in the region.

Already, the Trump administration has stripped officials in Costa Rica, Panama and Chile of their US visas, reportedly due to their ties to China.

It has also threatened to take back the Panama Canal over allegations that Chinese operatives are running the waterway. And after invading Venezuela and abducting President Nicolas Maduro, the US forced the country to halt oil exports to China.

But on Saturday, Trump is taking a different approach, welcoming Latin American leaders to his Mar-a-Lago estate for an event dubbed the “Shield of the Americas” summit.

How he plans to persuade leaders to distance themselves from one of the region’s largest economic partners remains unclear.

But experts say the high-level meeting could signal that Washington is prepared to put concrete offers on the table.

Securing meaningful commitments from Latin American leaders will take more than a photo op and vague promises, according to Francisco Urdinez, an expert on regional relations with China at Chile’s Pontifical Catholic University.

Even among Trump’s allies, Urdinez believes significant economic incentives are required.

“What they’re really hoping is that Washington backs up the political alignment with tangible economic benefits,” he said.

‘Reinforcing the Donroe Doctrine’

Already, the White House has confirmed that nearly a dozen countries will be represented at the weekend summit.

They include conservative leaders from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Mexico and Brazil, the region’s largest economies, have been notably left out. Both are currently led by left-leaning governments.

In a post on social media, the Trump administration framed the event as a “historic meeting reinforcing the Donroe Doctrine”, the president’s plan for establishing US dominance over the Western Hemisphere.

Part of that strategy involves assembling a coalition of ideological allies in the region.

But rolling back Chinese influence in a region increasingly reliant on its economy will not be an easy feat, according to Gimena Sanchez, the Andes director at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), a US-based research and advocacy group.

The US “is trying to get countries to agree that they’re not going to have China be one of their primary trading partners, and they really can’t at this point”, Sanchez said.

“For most countries, China is either their top, second or third trading partner.”

China, after all, has the second-largest economy in the world, and it has invested heavily in Latin America, including through infrastructure projects and massive loans.

The Asian giant has emerged as the top trading partner in South America in particular, with bilateral trade reaching $518bn in 2024, a record high for Beijing.

The US, however, remains the biggest outside trade force in Latin America and the Caribbean overall, due in large part to close relations with its neighbour, Mexico.

As of 2024, US imports from Latin America jumped to $661bn, and its exports were valued at $517bn.

Rather than choosing sides, though, many countries in the region are trying to strike a balance between the two powers, Sanchez explained.

Still, she added that the US cannot come empty-handed to this weekend’s negotiations.

“If the US is very boldly telling countries to cut off strengthening ties with China”, Sanchez emphasised that “the US is going to have to offer them something.”

What’s on the table?

Trump has already extended economic lifelines to Latin American governments politically aligned with his own.

In the case of Argentina, for instance, Trump announced in October a $20bn currency swap, meant to increase the value of the country’s peso.

He also increased the volume of Argentinian beef permitted to be imported into the US, shoring up the country’s agricultural sector, despite pushback from US cattle farmers.

Trump has largely tied those economic incentives to the continued leadership of political movements favourable to his own.

The $20bn swap, for instance, came ahead of a key election for Argentinian President Javier Milei’s right-wing party, which Trump supports.

Isolating China from resources in Latin America could also play to Trump’s advantage as he angles for better trade terms with Beijing.

A show of hemispheric solidarity could give Trump extra leverage as he travels to Beijing in early April to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Urdinez pointed out.

Then there’s the regional security angle. The US has expressed particular concern about China’s control of strategic infrastructure in Latin America and the critical minerals it could exploit in the region to bolster its defence and technology capabilities.

Bolivia, Argentina and Chile, for instance, are believed to hold the world’s largest deposits of lithium, a metal necessary for energy storage and rechargeable batteries.

The Trump administration referenced such threats in its national security strategy, published in December.

“Some foreign influence will be hard to reverse,” the strategy document said, blaming the “political alignments between certain Latin American governments and certain foreign actors”.

But Trump’s security platform nevertheless asserted that Latin American leaders were actively seeking alternatives to China.

“Many governments are not ideologically aligned with foreign powers but are instead attracted to doing business with them for other reasons, including low costs and fewer regulatory hurdles,” the document said.

It argued that the US could combat Chinese influence by highlighting the “hidden costs” of close ties to Beijing, including “debt traps” and espionage.

‘More aspiration than reality’

Henrietta Levin, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, believes that many Latin American countries would prefer to deepen economic engagement with the US over China.

But in many cases, that hasn’t been an option.

She pointed to Ecuador’s decision to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with China in 2023 after it failed to negotiate a similar agreement with the US under President Joe Biden.

Some US politicians had opposed the deal as a threat to domestic industries. Others had encouraged Biden to reject it due to alleged corruption in Ecuador’s government.

Critics, though, said the resistance pushed Ecuador into closer relations with China.

“ When Ecuador signed their free trade agreement with China a couple years ago, their leader actually made quite clear that they had wanted an FTA with the US and would’ve preferred that,” said Levin.

“But the US didn’t want to negotiate such an agreement, and China did.”

As a result, Ecuador became the fifth country in Latin America to ink a free trade pact with China, after Chile, Peru, Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

For Levin, the question looming over this weekend’s summit is whether the Trump administration will step up and provide alternatives to the economic engagement China has already delivered.

Options could include trade agreements, financing for new development and investments with attractive terms.

But without such offers, Urdinez, the Chilean professor, warns that Trump will face limits to his ambitions of checking China’s growth in Latin America.

“Until Washington is willing to fill the economic space it’s asking countries to vacate, the rollback strategy will remain more aspiration than reality,” said Urdinez.

Ryanair passengers should make sure they are up to date on the budget airline’s policies, amid claims that a family of four were hit with a fine of £400 due to misunderstanding the rules

As a budget airline, Ryanair is famous for its low fares, but another thing it has become notorious for are its strict rules on luggage. While the airline clearly sets out its rules when you book, as well as on its website, people continue to be caught out by them.

A recent change to Ryanair’s baggage policy saw it increase the size allowed for the free underseat bag that comes with even the most basic fares. In the past, bags had to be 40 x 25 x 20 cm, but as of last year, passengers can bring a bag of up to 40 x 30 x 20 cm. This small item can be a laptop bag, handbag, rucksack, or any item that fits within the dimensions to fit under the seat in front of you.

For an additional fee, which varies depending on route and availability, passengers can bring a second cabin bag of up to 10KG in weight. This bag can be up to 55 x 40 x 20cm in size and passengers will need to be able to load this into the overhead locker themselves without assistance from the flight crew. Checked luggage is also available to add for those who prefer to put items into the hold. There are 10kg, 20kg and 23kg bag options available.

However, despite the warnings, one family got caught out at the airport after not checking their bags’ dimensions and allegedly were hit with a £400 fee. A poster on Which? Travel’s Facebook page claimed they ended up being given the charge after not checking the rules before their return flight to the UK.

In a statement responding to the claims made at the time, Ryanair said: “People should avoid Ryanair’s high fees for oversized bags. They can do so by simply travelling with bags that meet our agreed dimensions. Our sizers are bigger than our permitted dimensions, so if that the bag fits in the sizer, it gets on, if it doesn’t, it gets charged.”

In a Which? report, its travel team set out a series of guidelines to avoid paying extra costs when travelling with Ryanair. The number one rule is to make sure the bag you bring really does fit into the holder, as gate crew will often check bag sizes. If your bags don’t fit into the sizer, you could end up being charged for extra luggage and potentially made to check your bag into the hold.

Don’t rely on measurements given by your bag’s manufacturer. Get the tape measure out when the bag is packed, as luggage can be bulkier when full, and make sure you include the wheels and folded handle in your measurements.

Ryanair’s website warns: “Passengers who bring an oversize bag (over 55x40x20cm) to the boarding gate will either have their bag refused or, where available, placed in the hold of the aircraft for a fee of £/€ 70.00 – £/€ 75.00. You will be required to leave your bags at the aircraft steps, in the gate bag trolley, or as directed by Ryanair agents, for stowage in the hold.”

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It also warned that passengers need to ensure they’ve booked the second cabin bag if they want to bring one, as there’s no guarantee it’ll be accepted at the gate. “Non-priority customers who bring their 10kg check-in bag to the boarding gate will either have their bag refused or, where available, placed in the hold of the aircraft for a fee of €/£ 46.00 – €/£ 60.00.”

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Visits to the Balearic Islands dropped in January of this year, and restaurant bookings are also down causing concern in the industry. However, plans to cap visitor numbers on one island are going ahead

Tourism bosses in Spain have been left concerned over dropping numbers in the hospitality industry amid a ‘disastrous’ start to the year for the Balearic Islands.

The islands, which include the popular destinations of Majorca, Ibiza, and Menorca, saw a drop in international visitor numbers of 8.83% in January. While restaurants also saw a drop in footfall, attributed to rising prices, across 2025.

Overall, across the Balearic Islands there was a 3% drop in restaurant footfall across 2025. While the amount might sound small, the tight profit margins in hospitality and the islands’ heavy reliance on tourism mean that modest drops can have a substantial impact.

The decline in restaurant customer numbers is being partly attributed to rising prices across the islands, the Majorca Daily News previously reported. Data analysts pointed out that in areas where dining is the most affordable, such as the mainland regions of Castile-La Mancha and Extremadura, customer numbers grew.

The analysis concluded: “This behaviour suggests that consumers have reached a price ceiling, which limits price increases in the most expensive areas and reinforces the idea of a restraint in real spending, even in areas traditionally less price-sensitive.”

The restaurant industry is also concerned about the numbers for 2026. Juanmi Ferrer, president of the CAEB Restaurants Association, representing island outlets, remarked that the year kicked off with a “disastrous January” and predicted it would be “like last year, or at most a little worse”.

He explained: “The last thing a restaurant owner wants is to raise prices, because that means fewer customers. This year we’ll try to absorb those extra three to four percentage points of inflation as much as we can.”

One option being considered is a restaurant voucher scheme, similar to a recent initiative across the island that supported shops. The retail scheme gave all residents aged over 16 four vouchers worth €15 each, which could be used on purchases of €30 or more, to encourage people to shop locally.

During summer 2025, concerns emerged that certain Majorcan resorts had become “completely dead”, with Miguel PérezMarsá, chairman of the nightlife association, saying: “The tourists we’re interested in are being driven away; they don’t feel welcome and are going to other destinations.” His comments came as thousands took to the streets in overtourism protests.

At last year’s World Travel Market (WTM) in London, Ibiza’s Tourism Minister, Jaume Bauza, acknowledged declining visitor numbers, revealing that 20,000 fewer British tourists visited the renowned party destination during the 2025 peak season compared to the previous year. Industry experts have suggested this decline may reflect holidaymakers deliberately shifting their travel dates to October and November to capitalise on more affordable rates.

However, it should be noted that such a dip comes at the end of several record years for tourism on the island chain, with Brits and other Europeans flocking in huge numbers to the Balearics post-Covid.

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Despite the drop in numbers causing alarm, the islands are continuing with measures to tackle overtourism. Plans have been announced to slash the number of daily cruise ship berths from 8,500 to 7,500 between June and September in Palma, Majorca, meaning fewer cruise ship passengers arriving once the change is implemented between 2027 to 2039.

Only three cruise ships would dock in Palma each day, with only one of these vessels allowed to transport more than 5,000 passengers. Opposition party PSOE – a socialist party for the Balearic Islands – also put forward a proposal recently for visitor numbers to be capped across the islands at 17.8 million a year. However, its proposal was rejected.

Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com

Wizz Air has announced that it’s received approval to operate flights between the UK and USA with its first flights set to take off in the summer in time for the World Cup

Budget airline Wizz Air has confirmed it now has “regulatory approval” to operate flights to the United States. The airline, who currently offer routes from the UK to destinations such as Poland, Turkey, Italy, and Romania, will offer the flights for football fans visiting the USA for the 2026 World Cup.

The airline confirmed it will now offer tailored charter flights to groups from teams to supporters and tour operators who are organising group travel to the USA. It confirmed that charter enquiries for summer travel are now open.

However, the airline also clarified that it has “no intention or plans to launch regular commercial flights to the US” but that “the new authorization represents a significant achievement and reflects months of preparation, regulatory coordination, and operational planning.”

So, while individuals won’t be able to book onto scheduled services, those who are travelling with large groups, organising a tour, or travellers looking for a private travel experience will be able to charter a transatlantic flight with Wizz Air.

Yvonne Moynihan, Managing Director of Wizz Air UK, said in a statement: “This is a proud and exciting day for everyone at our airline,” said . “Receiving approval to operate between the UK and the United States is a huge milestone for our company. It opens the door to incredible opportunities, particularly for European football teams and supporters travelling across the Atlantic this summer.

“We are ready to deliver exceptional charter experiences and bring fans closer to the action in the United States.”

England’s first fixture is set for June 17 at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, meaning many football fans are likely to descend on the Texas city to watch the big game. Its other group games are England vs Ghana, set for June 23 in Boston, and Panama vs England on June 27 in New York.

Scotland’s World Cup fixtures are set for June 14 when they take on Haiti in Boston, followed by another match in the city against Morocco on June 19. The team will then head to Miami for Scotland vs Brazil on June 24.

Wales and Northern Ireland are yet to secure their places in the World Cup as both teams are still in the qualifying stages. In addition to fixtures across the USA, some matches will also be held in Canada and Mexico who are joint hosts.

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However, seeing the matches in person is likely to be an expensive undertaking. Tickets for group stage games range from $100 to $575 (about £75 to £431), although FIFA has announced a very limited number of £45 tickets to each game. A seat at the July 19 final, which will take place in New Jersey, will be especially costly. Tickets bought at face value range from $2,030 to $6,370, about £1,500 to £4,800, with resellers no doubt charging even more.

Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com

One UK village is known for its strict preservation rules managed by the Fitzwilliam Wentworth Amenity Trust, which dictate everything from the colour of front doors to banning takeaways

For those who enjoy putting their personal stamp on their home decor, England’s ‘strictest’ village might not be the ideal place to settle down. In this locale, creativity takes a backseat as virtually everything is painted in a uniform shade of green. Fast food lovers and supermarket shoppers might also want to give the Yorkshire village of Wentworth a wide berth, as both takeaways and supermarkets are strictly off-limits.

The historic estate village is renowned for its stringent conservation rules, overseen by the Fitzwilliam Wentworth Amenity Trust. Takeaways, supermarkets, and ‘flashing neon signs’ are all prohibited in an effort to maintain the village’s traditional charm.

Instead, dining options are confined to a handful of classic establishments such as the Rockingham Arms, the George and Dragon pub, and the Village Tearooms.

Every front door in the village must adhere to a specific hue known as “Wentworth Green” (alternatively referred to as Hollybush Green or BS 14C39). Drainpipes and gates typically need to match this colour, whilst window frames should be painted off-white.

The majority of the village’s buildings boast external walls constructed from local sandstone, and any alterations must receive the trust’s approval.

Influencer Robbie Thompson, who boasts a following of 87,500 on Instagram, recently posted a reel about the village, dubbing it the “strictest village in England”.

In his video, he revealed that the village’s pubs, shops, and restaurants exclusively serve British cuisine and that a traffic and tourism steering group keeps a close eye on parking and traffic levels.

Robbie, who bills himself as a ‘champion of British food’, also revealed the village shop – fittingly called The Village Shop – stocks English jams, chutneys, teacakes, black pudding pork pies and what he describes as an “incredibly good” steak and ale pie served with mushy peas, mint sauce and gravy.

Over at the tea room (simplu named The Village Tea Room), Robbie insists proprietor Jane whips up the “lightest lemon sponge you’ll ever eat”.

As for the local pubs, you’ll discover more British staples including Scotch Eggs and Sticky Toffee puddings, the influencer reports.

He further notes you’ll come across honesty boxes scattered throughout the village flogging locally-sourced honey and eggs.

The post proved a massive hit, clocking up over 53,000 likes, with one person gushing: “Love this.”

Someone else commented: “That steak pie with mushy peas looked real legit though.”

A third person weighed in: “I’m Filipino and I love visiting villages like this. I always say British people should be proud their culture.”

Though one viewer couldn’t resist joking: “Looks like they could do with a kebab shop.”

HUNDREDS of thousands of commuters are bracing for travel chaos this weekend.

An entire tube line will be brought to a halt due to track work.

Transport for London has warned that the Hammersmith&City line will be shut across Saturday, March 7 and Sunday, March 8.

This is reportedly due to track work being carried out along the line.

Sections of the Circle, District and Metropolitan lines will also be affected by the shutdown.

Passengers traveling between Hammersmith and Tower hill, and between Edgware Road and High Street Kensington on Circle and District lines will need to find a different route.

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Those who commute between Baker Street and Aldgate on Metropolitan line will also have to pick an alternative journey.

A huge chunk of Piccadilly line will also be closed over the weekend with no service between Cockfosters and Uxbridge, even on Friday and Saturday Night Tube.

The disruption comes as part of a major upgrade plans on the line, which will see new trains introduced, tracks improved and better CCTV installed on platforms.

Acton Town and Heathrow will continue to provide services.

The closure means commuters will have to seek alternative routes or replacement transport, with other Tube and rail services expected to be busier than usual.

Meanwhile, parts of the DLR will be closed to test out a batch of upgraded trains.

A moment of silence for all the comedians, late-night-show writers, political satirists, memers, animators and random influencers who just lost a wealth of inspiration.

Kristi Noem, Homeland Security secretary, was fired Thursday by President Trump, ending the 13-month tenure of a political figure whose bravado, cruelty, incompetence and commando cosplay inspired more wickedly funny material than Dick Cheney, Sarah Palin and Sean Spicer combined.

Social media’s so-called ICE Barbie, the first Cabinet secretary to leave the Trump administration during the president’s second term, was a font of material for “South Park,” “SNL,” late night and thousands more sketch artists, impersonators, musicians and everyday trash posters. She never disappointed, unless you were looking to her for feasible, humane immigration policy enforcement.

Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

(Julia Demaree Nikhinson / Associated Press)

Drama and spectacle marked her brief career, from posing in front of a packed holding cell at El Salvador’s maximum security prison CECOT, where the DHS had shipped and detained deportees, to casting herself as an agent of action in multiple ICE raid videos. Donning a big gun and long, flowing locks of hair, she insinuated herself into operations, vamping for the camera in a bulletproof vest while masked agents rounded up fellow humans like cattle.

Grim, to be sure, but at least she contributed a shred of comic relief (unintended, of course) to our new, sad reality of federal agents invading American cities and abducting people off the streets, out of their cars and from their homes.

“South Park” skewered Noem in unprintable ways. “SNL” brought back Tina Fey to play Noem. Dressed in a lavender pantsuit, too much makeup and brandishing a massive firearm, she introduced herself as “the rarest type of person in Washington, D.C.: a brunette that Donald Trump listens to.”

The endless stream of memes across social media date back to 2024, when in her memoir Noem recalled shooting and killing her 14‑month‑old dog, a wirehaired pointer named Cricket, after deciding the dog was “untrainable.” Gov. Gavin Newsom later trolled the DHS and Noem with a meme captioned “Kristi Noem’s Dog Obedience School: She’ll Treat Them As Good As She Treats Brown People.” The mock ad featured a smiling woman holding a gun and kneeling beside a dog.

If it seems cruel, consider that the DHS posted holiday-themed deportation memes around Christmas, proclaiming that federal agents were stepping up removals “for the holidays,” with a “holiday deal” offering a free flight and $1,000 to those who self-deport. One X post featured an AI-generated image of federal agents in Santa hats with the caption, “YOU’RE GOING HO HO HOME.”

Noem’s dismissal comes on the heels of two congressional hearings this week where she was questioned about her response to the ICE killings of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis (she incorrectly called Good a domestic terrorist and claimed Pretti was involved in an act of domestic terrorism). She was grilled about the department spending $172 million for the purchase of two jets, the nature of her relationship with top DHS adviser Corey Lewandowski, and her $220-million DHS ad campaign starring none other than Kristi Noem. She testified in the hearings that Trump approved the ads. He said he knew nothing about them.

Her firing triggered an immediate rush of snarky content across social media, and a sharp a comment or two from prominent politicians. “Shouldn’t let the door hit her on the way out,” said Illinois Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker.

But all is not lost for those needing a laugh at Noem’s expense, or at the expense of the DHS, for that matter. The president said Thursday that Noem would take on a new, freshly invented role: Envoy for The Shield of the Americas. He described the position as one that will lead “our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere.” The job title and description already sound like the basis for a villainous political satire, without even trying.

And for the new guy taking the post? He’s Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), a former MMA fighter. Let the memes begin …

WASHINGTON — Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas said late Thursday he was withdrawing from his reelection race, after having admitted an affair with a former staff member who later died by suicide, but he vowed to finish out his term in Congress.

He had faced calls from GOP leadership to end his reelection bid, and from others in Congress to resign.

“After deep reflection and with the support of my loving family, I have decided not to seek re-election,” Gonzales said in a statement posted late Thursday to X.

The move is the latest in a quickly changing situation that stunned Capitol Hill and resulted in a House Ethics Committee investigation into his conduct. Gonzales’ decision to bow out of the race appears to clear the field. On Tuesday, he had been forced into a May runoff against Brandon Herrera, a gun manufacturer and YouTube gun-rights influencer who narrowly lost to him in the 2024 primary.

House Speaker Mike Johnson and the GOP leadership earlier Thursday had called on Gonzales to withdraw from reelection after Gonzales, a day earlier, acknowledged a relationship that has upturned the political world in his home state and in Washington.

“We have encouraged him to address these very serious allegations directly with his constituents and his colleagues,” said Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Whip Tom Emmer, and GOP Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain in a statement.

“In the meantime, Leadership has asked Congressman Gonzales to withdraw from his race for reelection.”

Johnson, R-La., has been under enormous pressure from his own GOP lawmakers to take action, and several Republicans have already called for Gonzales to step aside. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., has introduced two resolutions to punish Gonzales. The first seeks to remove him from his assignments on the House Appropriations and Homeland Security committees, while the second seeks to censure him.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, meanwhile, said he would support expelling Gonzales from the House, a rare step that requires a two-thirds vote from the chamber.

GOP leaders notably did not call for Gonzales to resign from office as they struggle to maintain their slim majority in the House, which they hold by only a handful of seats.

Their move came after Gonzales, appearing on the “Joe Pags Show,” was asked whether he had a relationship with the aide, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles.

Santos-Aviles, 35, died after setting herself on fire in the backyard of her home in Uvalde, Texas. The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office later ruled her death a suicide.

“I made a mistake and I had a lapse in judgment, and there was a lack of faith, and I take full responsibility for those actions,” Gonzales said.

The congressman, now in his third term, had said he would not step down in response to the allegations, telling reporters recently that there will be opportunities for all the details and facts to come out.

Gonzales, a father of six, first won his seat in 2020 after retiring from a 20-year career in the Navy that included time in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In the interview broadcast Wednesday, Gonzales said he had not spoken to Santos-Aviles since June 2024. She died in September 2025.

“I had absolutely nothing to do with her tragic passing, and in fact, I was shocked just as much as everyone else,” Gonzales said.

Gonzales went on to say he had reconciled with his wife, Angel, and has asked God to forgive him. He also said he looked forward to the Ethics Committee investigation.

Johnson and GOP leadership urged that committee to “act expeditiously.”

Under House ethics rules, lawmakers may not engage in a sexual relationship with any employee of the House under their supervision.

Mascaro and Freking write for the Associated Press.

It’s a tradition that, with a few breaks over the years, has endured since the 1960s.

Every time Corinthians unveil a big signing, a siren sounds at their social club headquarters, Parque Sao Jorge.

It was like this with Socrates, Rivaldo, Carlos Tevez, Ronaldo ‘Phenomenon’ and, more recently, Memphis Depay.

The siren will be heard once again in eastern Sao Paulo as Corinthians introduce Jesse Lingard as their new signing. The former Manchester United midfielder arrives as a free agent after leaving South Korean club FC Seoul in December.

He has signed a contract until the end of the year, with the possibility it could be extended until the end of 2027 if certain goals are met.

Lingard had offers from other clubs, but, after a quick call to his former United team-mate Depay, he was in no doubt about his decision and had a flight booked even before a verbal agreement was in place.

A unique experience now awaits Lingard across the Atlantic.

Not only because the 33-year-old is set to become the first English footballer to feature in the Brazilian top flight.

But also because Corinthians themselves are a unique force in the domestic context, too.

“Every team has supporters. Corinthians are supporters who have a team,” journalist Jose Roberto de Aquino famously put it.

And they refer to themselves in a very particular way: “bando de loucos” – a bunch of crazies – a label the club has proudly embraced.

“Welcome to the madhouse,” reads a sign in the tunnel leading visiting sides to the pitch at the Neo Quimica Arena.

Corinthians fans are widely known as the most loyal in the country. For better and for worse, as Lingard will soon find out first-hand.

When the black and white team beat Chelsea 1-0 in the 2012 Intercontinental Cup final, 40,000 supporters travelled to Japan. They have also raised around £6m through a crowdfunding campaign to help the club pay for their stadium and saw their following grow even when the team went 23 years without a trophy.

That run came to an end in 1977 with a Sao Paulo State Championship title.

It was not a coincidence that Lingard was handed the number 77. It carries weight and he will know that from day one.

March 6 (UPI) — Ukraine‘s foreign minister accused Hungary of kidnapping seven Ukrainian state bank employees and stealing the cash and gold they were transporting, and Hungary announced it would expel the bank staff.

Ukraine’s Oschadbank said on Thursday that two vehicles with seven employees and about $75 million were stopped in Budapest Thursday, and Kyiv has lost contact with the personnel. The vehicles were transporting cash and gold from Austria to Ukraine.

Budapest announced Friday that the seven bank employees would be expelled from Hungary, and accused the seven people detained of money laundering.

On Wednesday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traded threats and accusations. Budapest blamed Kyiv for blocking a Russian oil pipeline into Hungary, but Kyiv said the pipeline was damaged by a Russian air strike in January, the BBC reported.

One month before the Hungarian elections, Orban is trailing in polling.

“Today in Budapest, Hungarian authorities took seven Ukrainian citizens hostage,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Thursday on X. “The reasons are still unknown, as well as their current well-being, or the possibility of contacting them. … We will also address the European Union with the request to provide a clear qualification of Hungary’s unlawful actions, hostage-taking, and robbery.”

In a Friday morning post, Sybiha called it “state banditism.”

“Political statements from Hungarian officials this morning show that the detention of seven Ukrainian citizens in Budapest was part of Hungary’s blackmail and electoral campaign,” the post on X said. “Orban’s list of demands for Ukraine this morning was particularly telling. This is what typically happens after people are taken hostage: demands. We will not tolerate this state banditism.”

Oschadbank released a statement calling for the release of its employees.

It said the employees “were unjustifiably detained in Hungary while carrying out a regular transport of foreign currency and bank metals between Raiffeisen Bank Austria and Oschadbank Ukraine. … Oschadbank demands the immediate release of its employees and property and their return to Ukraine.”

The bank said the vehicles carried $40 million in U.S. dollars, about $40.5 million in euros and about 20 pounds of gold. The transfer was part of an agreement with Raiffeisen Bank.

“The cargo was registered in accordance with international transportation rules and current European customs procedures,” Oschadbank said in the statement.

It’s not clear what has happened to the cash and gold, but the BBC reported that Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said, “they’ve stolen the money.”

Hungary alleges that the transport was part of a money laundering operation. The Hungarian National Tax and Customs Administration said that seven Ukrainian nationals were arrested, including a former Ukrainian intelligence general, with two armoured cash trucks also seized.

“This year alone, more than $900 million, $486 million (in euros), and 322 pounds of gold bars have been transported through the territory of Hungary to Ukraine,” the statement said.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó also posted on X: “The government demands immediate answers and explanations from Ukraine on the cash shipments through Hungary. The question arises whether this is the money from the Ukrainian war mafia,” Szijjártó said.

Ukraine has issued a travel warning for its people to avoid traveling through Hungary.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends that Ukrainian citizens refrain from traveling to Hungary due to the lack of guarantees of their safety against the backdrop of arbitrary actions by the Hungarian authorities,” a statement said.

Responding to a question from The War Zone at a press conference at CENTCOM headquarters in Tampa, Florida, the admiral leading the war against Iran praised the Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (LUCAS) kamikaze drone. Based on the Iranian Shahed-136, these weapons were used in combat for the first time just six days ago. They were fired against unspecified Iranian targets in the opening salvos of the Operation Epic Fury joint U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran and repeatedly since.

The War Zone has advocated for the procurement of this exact class of drone by the American military and today, Adm. Brad Cooper backed up that assessment.

“LUCAS, indispensable,” Cooper told us when we asked how effective they have been and how much they’ve helped preserve magazine depth, given their comparative low cost and faster and easier production.

America’s stockpile of offensive and defense munitions remains a concern as Epic Fury drags on, even though War Secretary Pete Hegseth, who also spoke at the press conference, downplayed it. More on that later in this story.

A Tomahawk cruise missile cost roughly between $2 million to $2.5 million a piece. Air launched cruise missiles currently in service cost over a million a piece, although work is being done to reduce that number considerably. There is still a tradeoff in warhead size, response time, and survivability, but cheaper weapons in greater quantities that can deliver a payload over hundreds of miles are badly needed as part of a arsenal mix that includes more advanced types.

“Costing approximately $35,000 per platform, LUCAS is a low-cost, scalable system that provides cutting-edge capabilities at a fraction of the cost of traditional long-range U.S. systems that can deliver similar effects,” Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesperson, told TWZ back in December. “The drone system has an extensive range and the ability to operate beyond line of sight, providing significant capability across CENTCOM’s vast operating area.”

Moreover, the LUCAS design includes features that allow for “autonomous coordination, making them suitable for swarm tactics and network-centric strikes,” a U.S. official told us in December. As we have explained in detail in the past, the swarming capabilities combined with some of the drones being equipped with Starlink terminals, means extremely advanced cooperative tactics and dynamic targeting are possible, all while keeping humans in the loop.

The video below is said to show a LUCAS drone, recovered largely intact in Iraq. Its beyond-line-of-sight satellite datalink can be seen detached and hanging by a cable.

Locals in Iraq appear to have recovered a crashed and almost entirely intact Low-Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS), an American copy of the Iranian Shahed-136 Attack Drone, which is confirmed to have been used recently by Task Force Scorpion Strike during U.S. attacks on… pic.twitter.com/SEqO6627en

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 2, 2026

Cooper highlighted how the U.S. has reworked the Iranian Shahed, which have been wreaking havoc during this conflict, killing six U.S. troops and causing destruction across the Middle East.

“We captured it, pulled the guts out, sent it back to America, put a little ‘Made in America on it,’ brought it back here and we’re shooting it at the Iranians.”

In a video message earlier this week, Cooper said that the U.S. has fired “countless one-way attack drones” to great effect.

Thursday, we asked him what kinds of targets LUCAS drones have been used against and he offered a short response.

“Good ones,” he said.

We asked Cooper to respond to stories that have emerged saying the Pentagon and at least one Gulf ally are talking to Ukraine about procuring their low-cost Shahed interceptors. He deferred to Cooper.

“I’m not familiar with the particular offer, but the interceptors in general, we’ve had a number of new capabilities being fielded,” the CENTCOM commander explained. “Obviously, I’m not going to talk about it from the operational perspective of what those are, but I think you have seen over a period of time us kind of get on the other side of this cost curve on drones in general.”

“If I just walk back a couple of years, remember what you used to always hear, we’re shooting down a $50,000 drone with a $2 million missile,” he added. “These days, we’re spending a lot of time shooting down $100,000 drones with $10,000” weapons.

Before Cooper answered our questions, Hegseth repeated the Pentagon’s assertion that it has the weapons it needs to outlast Iranian missile and drone barrages.

“We’ve got no shortage of munitions,” Hegseth proclaimed. “Our stockpiles of defensive and offensive weapons allow us to sustain this campaign as long as we need to again, our munition status only increases as our advantage increases our capabilities.”

As we recently pointed out, Iran’s ability to launch missiles and drones at U.S., Israeli, and other allied targets in the Middle East has been severely degraded, curbing concerns, even if to just a small degree, about America’s magazine depth.

However, as we have often noted, one of the big concerns about Epic Fury is whether Iranian missile and drone barrages would outlast the ability of the U.S. and allies to defend against them. Despite six days of intensive attacks, Tehran still possesses thousands of missiles and drones, though a significant number of these weapons and their launchers — specifically the longer range ballistic missile types —have been destroyed or prevented from being accessed by crews.

The effort to eliminate the Iranian regime’s mobile missile launch capabilities continues. We are finding and destroying these threats with lethal precision. pic.twitter.com/AkGRYOjnOz

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 5, 2026

Though Iran has been severely pummeled by both the U.S. and Israel, it is unknown how much longer the conflict will grind on. President Donald Trump had stated that it could last four or five weeks. Now the time table is very murky, with the administration indicating it could last much longer. Regardless, the more it drags out, the more munitions the U.S. will expend, but at least it knows it can quickly build more LUCAS drones, if need be.

Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com

THE UK isn’t short of amazing swimming pools, with some dating back to the Victorian era.

But one in the city centre of London remains relatively unknown – despite a multi-million campaign to reopen it.

Marshall Street Baths is built on the grounds of one of London’s oldest bathhouses in 1852.

Also previously called Westminster Public Baths, it was rebuilt to what it looks like now back in 1931.

Even used as a training ground during World War II, it fell into disrepair over the years.

It was forced to close in 1997, before reopening as Nuffield Health leisure centre in 2010 after a £25million refit.

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Now run by Everyone Active, it is also home to a gym, sauna and steam room.

The Grade II listed building has many of its original features still, including the marble floors, green Swedish marble walls and vaulted ceilings.

Swimmers have raved about the pool, with one calling it a “hidden treasure in the city”.

Another said: “It’s absolutely beautiful. So iconic.”

A third even claimed: “Best pool in London!”

Tickets to the pool range from £5.20 to £9.35, for a single session, otherwise you can buy monthly memberships.

It isn’t the only beautiful swimming pool in the UK.

Mounts Baths in Northampton were dubbed “world class” by the BBC.

Originally built in 1936, the Art Deco pool is on the site of the town’s old prison.

In Manchester, there is Victoria Baths, dating back to 1906, although only opens a few times a year.

And there is a Virgin Active gym which has a beautiful swimming pool built into a former church.

Here’s a Grecian style pool in the UK as well.

BRITISH Airways is launching the world’s largest business class cabin this year.

This week, new information about British Airways‘ new business class seats was leaked.

The leak included the proposed seat plan, revealing the expected layout of the airline’s new A380 cabin.

The new Airbus A380 configuration will feature 110 Club World seats, making it the largest business class cabin on any aircraft.

BA is set to start refurbishing its A380s in the second quarter of this year and inside the refitted planes, passengers will find Club Suites – the newest business class offering.

The suites will feature a privacy screen door, a special lining that reduces noise, a 53.3cm-wide seat and a 200cm bed.

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Passengers will also be able to make use of a 47cm touchscreen as well as side bins and cabinets for their belongings.

Every seat will also have direct aisle access.

The number of premium seats will increase, meaning that the total capacity of the aircraft will be lower.

According to the leaked seat plan, the main deck will feature 12 new first class suites, 84 premium economy seats and 215 economy seats.

The upper deck will be just for Club World business class, with 110 seats in total.

In comparison, this will be a 48-seat reduction compared to the current layout which features 14 first class seats, 97 business class seats, 55 premium economy seats and 303 economy seats.

Club Suites are already available on all A350s, 787-10s, and most 777s from London Heathrow Airport.

In mid-2026, British Airways is also set to introduce its new First seat.

The seats are designed to have a “modern luxury hotel feel” with “home comforts” and “thoughtful British touches”.

The new First seat will be wider and longer and will feature an 81.2cm 4K touchscreen.

The seats will have a ‘buddy dining’ feature as well, which will allow two passengers to dine together in one suite.

There will be a multi-purpose ottoman too, and a floor-level wardrobe.

These seats also form part of the airline’s A380 retrofit plans.

British Airways mainly uses its A380s from London Heathrow to major long-haul destinations such as Los Angeles, Miami, Boston and Johannesburg.

In other flight news, British Airways has launched a business class sale with £500 off flights.

Plus, these are five of the best solo travel destinations according to British Airways experts from beach cities to A-lister hotspots.

Leeds Castle in Kent is said to be haunted by two black dogs and the ghost of a woman in a flowing dress – but this luxury overnight stay in Catherine of Aragon’s former home was worth every penny

There’s something that feels slightly forbidden about strolling through the grounds of a castle after dark when all the day-trippers have departed. The ambience is somewhat spine-tingling, but it genuinely gives you a flavour of what existence must have been like within the walls of these enormous estates in centuries past.

That’s certainly how I felt during my overnight stay at Leeds Castle in Kent, frequently dubbed the Castle of Queens owing to the numerous female rulers who made it their residence. Its somewhat puzzling name derives from Saxon leader Led or Leed, who established the foundations for what would evolve into Leeds Castle, constructing a timber structure on two islands in the centre of the River Len.

This modest wooden dwelling was eventually superseded by a stone stronghold, and through the centuries it expanded into the magnificent castle that subsequently became the residence of Henry VIII’s first spouse, Catherine of Aragon. Yet with that illustrious heritage comes stories of hauntings, the most well-known local myth being spectral encounters with two black dogs, believed to be linked to a previous occupant supposedly involved in witchcraft.

There are also accounts of a phantom in a long flowing dress roaming through the chambers. However, I’m pleased to report that no such spirits disturbed my slumber, and I managed to achieve a solid eight hours of rest in a comfortable four-poster bed.

Our accommodation was situated in the Stable Courtyard, and alongside a beautiful canopied bed, it featured a soaking tub, lake views, and a minibar filled with local delicacies. Certainly worth risking a ghostly encounter for.

Leeds Castle also provides accommodation in its Maiden’s Tower, formerly home to Catherine of Aragon’s ladies-in-waiting, as well as cottages and riverside lodges positioned at the water’s edge. Throughout the day, guests can explore the castle and grounds, and you’ll notice plenty of families braving the elements and enjoying strolls through the magnificently landscaped gardens, but once the gates shut, the ambience becomes tranquil and peaceful.

That evening, we dined at the Castle View restaurant. Located just across the river from the castle, it boasts a vast floor-to-ceiling window that enables you to admire it illuminated at night.

There’s an outdoor terrace which I imagine is stunning during the summer months as you’d be able to watch the sunset whilst dining. The restaurant’s menu features simple, comforting classics with an emphasis on seasonal ingredients and locally-sourced produce.

We were drawn to everything from fish and chips to homemade pies, with my husband ultimately selecting a ribeye steak – which was ‘perfectly’ medium rare in his opinion – whilst I went for the special of cod with chorizo and a butterbean stew. The fish was beautifully flaky and delicate, complementing the robust beans perfectly.

We also sampled a bottle of Pinot Noir from Wildshark Vineyard, located just a few minutes from the castle. My previous encounters with English wine haven’t always been positive, and I’m still resentful about an extortionately-priced bottle that resembled fizzy vinegar, but this red wine may have won me over.

It was velvety, packed with fruity notes, and crucially, I didn’t suffer my typical red wine headache despite consuming half the bottle.

Following a comfortable, spectre-free evening, we tucked into breakfast in the restaurant, which offers a respectable continental buffet alongside hot dishes including a full English and eggs royale. Upon checking out, guests are still welcome to explore the castle for the remainder of the day, so we packed up the car and wrapped up warm to venture out for a wander.

Whilst the castle dates back centuries, its final private owner was Lady Olive Baillie, who is credited with restoring much of the historic property in the 1920s. She also transformed it into somewhat of a party destination, with the elite of transatlantic society, politics, and culture amongst its notable guests.

From Winston Churchill to Charlie Chaplin, numerous famous faces have resided here. Enthusiasts of vintage fashion and style will relish exploring Lady Baillie’s rooms where items from her beaded gowns to chic 1920s shoes and record player are displayed. If you’re a fan of Downton Abbey, you’ll certainly recognise those vibes.

Returning to the grounds, we attempted, and became lost in, the hedge maze. In my defence, it was drizzling with rain, and I likely would have had more patience on a sunny day.

Admitting defeat, we instead visited the birds of prey centre, which featured stunning owls and eagles, and discovered some entertaining family-friendly activities such as adventure playgrounds. There’s even an artificial beach where children can construct sandcastles.

Once again, definitely one for the summer to-do list. And with a 9-hole golf course overlooking the castle, it’s remarkable how much there is to do just moments from your room.

Spending the night at Leeds Castle is truly a memorable experience. It’s rare to find yourself waking up within the grounds of a historic castle, and an overnight stay makes you feel connected to its rich past.

The castle’s team are exceptional, from the warm reception at arrival to the prompt, friendly restaurant staff and knowledgeable guides who patiently shared the building’s fascinating story – it’s evident the castle is being brilliantly cared for in its current chapter.

Rooms at the Stable Courtyard start from £134 per night. For more information and to make a reservation, visit leeds-castle.com.

Loose Women won’t be on air for a while as Kaye Adams announced a break at the end of Friday’s show.

Loose Women will be missing from its regular ITV slot next week, as the panel announced the long-running programme will be taking a hiatus.

During Friday’s episode (March 6), Jayne Moore interrupted their conversation near the show’s conclusion to dab her eyes due to hay fever.

Clarifying that she wasn’t becoming emotional, Loose Women presenter Kaye Adams remarked: “I thought you were getting a bit tearful! There is a reason to get tearful, it’s your last Loose Women for a few weeks.

“We will be back next month. Until then, take care, have a fabulous weekend and Easter, and we’ll see you very soon!”.

Typically, the daytime programme broadcasts weekdays from 12:30pm until 1:30pm; however, next week, Cheltenham Festival coverage will occupy its time slot, reports the Express.

Loose Women isn’t the sole programme experiencing a scheduling reshuffle, as Lorraine will also be off air temporarily.

At Friday’s show conclusion (March 6), Christine Lampard revealed the programme will be pausing.

She stated: “That’s all for today here, Lorraine will be back in a few weeks’ time. Have a lovely weekend. See you soon.”

This follows Lorraine’s absence from her programme for the past two episodes after losing her voice.

Last year the broadcaster unveiled significant changes for ITV Daytime which resulted in 200 job losses. Lorraine will now broadcast for 30 weeks annually, a modification that will similarly impact Loose Women.

With Lorraine off air, Good Morning Britain will be extended by an additional 30 minutes, concluding at 10am. The replacement for Loose Women, following a week of Cheltenham Festival coverage, is yet to be announced.

Discussing the alterations, head honcho Kevin Lygo elucidated: “Daytime is a really important part of what we do, and these scheduling and production changes will enable us to continue to deliver a schedule providing viewers with the news, debate and discussion they love from the presenters they know and trust as well as generating savings which will allow us to reinvest across the programme budget in other genres.

“These changes also allow us to consolidate our news operations and expand our national, international and regional news output and to build upon our proud history of trusted journalism at a time when our viewers need accurate, unbiased news coverage more than ever.”

Loose Women can be viewed on ITVX.

For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new **Everything Gossip** website

WASHINGTON — The Republican-led Senate voted Tuesday to kill new rules that established the first federal standard for ergonomics in the workplace, and President Bush signaled he would support the regulatory rollback.

The unusually rapid Senate action, following a brief and fiery partisan debate, elated business and enraged labor. The vote to nullify the rules was 56-44. The Republican-led House could follow suit as early as today.

The rules in question, issued in the final weeks of the Clinton administration, are meant to require employers to adopt the principle of ergonomics–namely, fitting work conditions to the physical capacity of workers.

Nearly 2 million workers each year suffer from work-related conditions known as musculoskeletal disorders, caused by repetitive, awkward or stressful motions, according to estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that some experts call conservative. Examples are carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis and herniated spinal discs–but not injuries caused by slips, trips or accidents.

While most Democrats have championed the federal ergonomics rules, the idea of federal intervention was first raised in 1990 by a Republican labor secretary, Elizabeth Hanford Dole, who served under the current president’s father.

But the new Bush administration has embraced the arguments of business interests, which view the final rules produced by Clinton’s Labor Department as unworkable and unreliable.

“These regulations would cost employers, large and small, billions of dollars annually while providing uncertain benefits,” the White House said.

“If implemented, they would require employers to establish burdensome and costly new systems intended to track, prevent and provide compensation for an extremely broad class of injuries whose cause is subject to considerable dispute.”

The administration statement confirmed what congressional Republicans have said privately for several days–that Bush would support a congressional resolution to nullify the new rules.

Tuesday’s developments gave fresh evidence of the effect of the realignment of power in Washington, with Republicans controlling Congress and the White House for the first time since the 1950s.

Former President Clinton, a Democrat, repeatedly fended off attempts by the Republican-led Congress to stop action on ergonomics.

Now, participants on both sides acknowledge that the fate of the rules, along with the resolution of many other business-labor disputes, may have been sealed when Bush was declared the victor last year over Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore.

Sen. Don Nickles (R-Okla.), the assistant majority leader, mocked the rules as “the most expensive, intrusive regulations ever promulgated, certainly by the Department of Labor and maybe by any department in history.”

Nickles said the rules would allow “federal bureaucrats” to tell moving companies, grocers or bottlers, for example, how many workers they would need to unload goods. “There is no way in the world that a lot of companies could comply with this rule,” he said.

But Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) ripped Republicans for rushing the nullification through Congress using special parliamentary tactics that allowed little debate.

“It’s a major weakening in terms of the protections for American workers,” Kennedy said. “If we are not going to protect them now, there is no one that is going to protect them. . . . We know the people that are going to be constantly hurt–working families hurt, day in, day out.”

Six of 50 Democrats, mainly Southerners, broke party ranks to vote with all 50 Republicans for the resolution repealing the rule. They were Sens. Zell Miller of Georgia, Blanche Lambert Lincoln of Arkansas, Ernest F. Hollings of South Carolina, Max Baucus of Montana and John B. Breaux and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana.

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, irate at the six, said: “The votes of Democratic senators who gave cover to this assault on worker safety are especially dishonorable.”

Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer of California opposed the repeal.

Labor and business lobbyists worked the issue in full force.

Union officials, campaigning with the slogan “Stop the Pain: Start the Healing,” made a frantic, final push to save what they consider one of the most important accomplishments of the Clinton years. The AFL-CIO, noting that women suffer repetitive-motion injuries disproportionately, held news conferences that featured women who had suffered crippling disorders in a poultry plant, a public school and an Internet company.

Business groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Assn. of Manufacturers countered that the rules would overwhelm employers, forcing them to comply with vaguely worded standards at untold billions of dollars in expense. Employers circulated on Capitol Hill on Tuesday to tell senators and reporters how the rules would hurt them; one Virginia restaurant owner with 300 employees said it would cost him at least $53,000 a year.

The rules, issued by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Nov. 14, took effect on Jan. 16, four days before Clinton left office. With exceptions for maritime, agricultural, construction and railroad industries and some other employers, most businesses in America–including those in California covered by the state’s own, less-detailed ergonomics standard–are required to comply by Oct. 16.

As a first step, employers are required to tell employees about the risks and symptoms of common musculoskeletal disorders and set up a system to receive reports of such injuries. The government has estimated that the ailments force at least 600,000 workers each year to take time off.

When employers receive verified reports of work-related musculoskeletal disorders, the rules require further steps. Some problems, according to the rules, can be solved by “quick fixes”–presumably inexpensive–such as adjusting the height of a desk or work platform.

But other problems might require more extensive response–an ergonomics safety program including, according to the rules, “management leadership,” “employee participation,” “job hazard analysis” and “hazard reduction and control measures.”

Critics were irate over a provision that would allow employees to claim that a preexisting condition is work-related if the condition is “significantly aggravated” by the workplace.

Businesses also complained about a provision that would require employers to offer light-duty work to employees with covered disorders for at least three months with full pay and benefits, or, failing that, three months off with at least 90% of their regular pay.

The Clinton administration estimated that the regulations would cost employers $4.5 billion a year to implement but would save them billions of dollars more on workers’ compensation. Business groups scoffed at those figures and said the cost could be as much as $100 billion annually.

Normally, Democrats in the evenly divided Senate are able to threaten a filibuster to block legislation they oppose. It takes 60 votes to end such a maneuver.

But Republicans, in their action Tuesday, relied on a little-known 1996 law that enables Congress to repeal major new regulations with the approval of the president. Under its terms, debate was limited to 10 hours and Democrats were unable to filibuster.

The 1996 law, known as the Congressional Review Act, has until now never been successfully invoked. One effort to nullify a health regulation failed in the Senate in September of that year.

If, as expected, Republicans prevail on ergonomics, their use of the review act may have broader implications. For one, Democrats said Republicans could be emboldened to use the act to wipe out other rules that businesses oppose. “It can be brought to bear on agriculture regulations, on energy regulations,” said Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.). “This is not just an isolated instance.”

Democrats also charge that the language of the act would prevent future efforts to make meaningful ergonomics rules unless Congress gives permission.

But Republicans said that was not so.

Labor Secretary Elaine Chao said in a letter Tuesday to Sen. James M. Jeffords (R-Vt.) that she would continue to pursue “a comprehensive approach to ergonomics” even if the current rule is killed. Chao said she remained open to crafting a new rule that would “provide employers with achievable measures that protect their employees before injuries occur.”

Australia dismissed India for 198 on day one of the day-night Test in Perth as Alyssa Healy begun her final match as captain of the hosts.

Australia closed on 96-3 in reply, trailing by 102 runs, with Healy – who will retire from all formats after this series – falling for 13 at the Waca.

All-rounder Annabel Sutherland starred with the ball, taking 4-46, while left-arm fast bowler Lucy Hamilton impressed on her Test debut by claiming 3-31.

After losing the toss, India slipped to 107-5 but Jemimah Rodrigues compiled a defiant 52 to prevent her side being skittled.

In reply, Australia openers Georgia Voll (two) and Phoebe Litchfield (nine) both made single-figure scores to leave the hosts 31-2, bringing Healy to the crease.

She started to rebuild alongside Ellyse Perry before picking out Rodrigues at point off Sayali Satghare as the Aussies fell to 58-3.

However, Perry remains unbeaten on 43 and Sutherland is 20 not out as Australia will look to build a first-innings lead on day two of the four-day game.

March 6 (UPI) — Global shipping giant Maersk announced Friday it was temporarily halting two key routes linking the Middle East and Gulf region with the Far East and destinations in Europe as a precautionary step due to what it described as “the escalating” Iran conflict.

The company said in a news advisory that following an assessment of the risks to shipping in the Gulf region and an operational review, it had taken the decision “as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of our personnel and vessels while minimizing operational disruption across our wider network.”

“For the ME11 [Middle East-Europe] and FM1 [Middle East-Far East] final eastbound voyage, we are finalizing the timing and vessel details and will update you as soon as this information is confirmed,” it added.

Maersk also said that it was suspending shuttle services within the Gulf region until further notice and that its ME1 service connecting the Middle East with Northern Europe would temporarily bypass Dubai in both directions and only stop in Oman before going straight on to India on the eastbound leg and Morocco on the return leg.

The suspensions ensure Maersk’s vessels stay clear of the Strait of Hormuz amid threats by Tehran to “set fire” to anything that tries to pass in or out of the Persian Gulf.

Markets see the Danish company as a bellwether of global trade, with the move adding to escalating supply chain disruptions due to the conflict engulfing the region following strikes launched against Iran by the United States and Israel at the weekend.

Shipping via the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil and gas is shipped out from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to the rest of world, is effectively at a total stop.

At least 147 container ships are stranded on the wrong side of the strait, taking refuge in the Persian Gulf.

Security fears have prompted major shipping lines, including Switzerland’s MSC and France’s CMA CGM, to ditch plans to resume using the Suez Canal route and continue diverting the long way round via the tip of southern Africa. MSC has temporarily halted all bookings for the Middle East.

The disruption has thrown schedules, caused congestion at ports and sent freight rates for everything higher.

Shares in Maersk were trading 0.6% higher on the NASDAQ Copenhagen Exchange on Friday afternoon at $2,637 a share.

Iran state TV presenter has threatened women’s national team for not singing anthem at opening AFC Cup match.

The global representative organisation for professional footballers, FIFPRO, has urged governing bodies responsible for the 2026 Women’s Asian Football Confederation Cup to protect the Iran national team after they were labelled “wartime traitors” by an Iranian state ‌television presenter.

Both FIFA, world football’s governing body, and the AFC have been called upon to “undertake all necessary steps to ensure the safety of Iran’s Women’s National Team players”.

The Iran women’s national football team players did not sing their national anthem before their Asian Cup opener against South Korea in Australia earlier ⁠this week.

Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting presenter Mohammad Reza Shahbazi said in a video that the players showed a lack of patriotism and their actions amounted to the “pinnacle of dishonour” in footage circulating widely on social media.

“Let me ⁠just say one thing: traitors during wartime ⁠must be dealt with more severely,” Shahbazi said.

“Anyone who takes a step against the country under war conditions must be dealt with more severely. Like this matter of ⁠our women’s football team not singing the national anthem … these people must be dealt with more ⁠severely.”

In a statement released on the social media platform X, FIFPRO released a strong and lengthy statement outlining its concerns.

“In addition to the dangerous situation the players would face if they return to Iran following the tournament, FIFPRO Asia/Oceania is deeply concerned by reports that Iranian state television has publicly attacked the members of the team for remaining silent during the national anthem before their opening match,” the statement read.

“Footage circulating online shows Mohammad Reza Shahbazi, a state TV presenter, calling for them to face the ‘stigma of dishonour and betrayal’.

“These statements significantly heighten concerns for the players’ safety should they return to Iran after the tournament.

“FIFPRO Asia/Oceania has once again written to the AFC and FIFA, calling on them to uphold their human rights obligations under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and FIFA’s Human Rights Policy and protect the players.

“We call on the AFC and FIFA to urgently engage with the Iranian Football Association, the Australian Government and all other relevant authorities to ensure that every effort is made to protect the safety of the players.”

The Iranian players stood in silence when Iran’s anthem was played at the Gold Coast ahead of their 3-0 opening loss to South ‌Korea on Monday, though they sang and saluted before a 4-0 defeat by hosts Australia three days later.

The Reuters news agency has contacted both the Asian Football Confederation, the Iranian football federation and the team at the Asian Cup for comment.

Ahead of their game against Australia, Iran forward Sara Didar fought ‌back tears and spoke about the war, while coach Marziyeh Jafari said her players were doing their best to focus on the ‌tournament ‌despite concern for their families back home.

Iran face the Philippines on Sunday in their final group match.

Four hours before Sienna Spiro is due to launch her first U.S. headlining tour, the 20-year-old singer and songwriter from London sits upstairs in the Troubadour’s empty balcony, peering down as several crew members wheel a grand piano onstage.

“The fact that I’m 11-and-a-half hours from home and that this room is gonna be filled with people that have never met me and that I’ve never seen before — that’s just crazy,” she says. “I’m kind of scared.”

The song that brought Spiro to West Hollywood this past Tuesday is “Die on This Hill,” a showstopping pop-soul ballad about staying in a toxic relationship — “I’ll take my pride, stand here for you,” she sings, “I’m not blind, just seeing it through” — that’s been streamed more than 300 million times on YouTube and Spotify since it came out in October. Built around tolling piano chords and Spiro’s titanic vocal, the song hit No. 9 in the U.K. and broke into the Top 20 of Billboard’s Hot 100; last month, Spiro — whose famous admirers include SZA, Mark Ronson and Alex Warren — was nominated for the Critics’ Choice prize at England’s annual BRIT Awards.

With its unabashed emotion and its throwback feel, “Die on This Hill” can be heard as the latest in a long line of melodramatic ballads by young Brits such as Amy Winehouse, Duffy, Lewis Capaldi and Olivia Dean, the last of whom was just named best new artist at the Grammys. Yet Spiro’s voice stands out: Rich and pulpy, with a crack she knows how to deploy for maximum heartbreak, it might be the most impressive instrument to come out of England since Adele emerged nearly two decades ago.

“Sienna is a true artist with the voice of a generation,” says Sam Smith, one more English singer (and former best new artist winner) with a flair for ugly-cry theatrics. Late last year, Smith, who identifies as nonbinary, invited Spiro to join them onstage in New York for a performance of Smith’s song “Lay Me Down.” Spiro, Smith recalls, “blew the room away” — one reason they brought her out again Wednesday night at San Francisco’s Castro Theatre, this time to sing “Die on This Hill” together.

Says Smith of the younger artist: “The world is at her feet.”

At the Troubadour, where she’ll follow Tuesday’s sold-out concert with an encore appearance Friday night, Spiro describes singing as a life calling. “I’ve known what I wanted to do since — honestly, since I’ve been a conscious human being,” she says. Dressed in a black-and-white-striped turtleneck, she has her legs folded beneath her on a wooden bench; her dark hair hangs loose around her face, yet to be styled into the ’60s-inspired do she’ll wear come showtime.

“I always felt a bit invisible,” she adds, whether at school with friends or at home as a middle child. “Not in a victimized way. But I always struggled with that existentialism. Music is the only thing that’s made me feel real.”

Are we to believe that one of pop’s bright new stars was once … kind of a bummer?

“In my own way, yeah,” she says with a laugh. “It’s OK. It happened. Character building.”

Spiro grew up privileged in London, one of four children of Glenn Spiro, a prominent jeweler who counts Jay-Z as a client and pal. Her dad turned her onto Frank Sinatra and Nina Simone and the Italian film “Profumo di donna” when she was little; by age 10 she’d written her first song (“Lady in the Mirror,” it was called) and played her first gig (at a pub not far from Heathrow Airport).

At 16 she enrolled at East London Arts and Music, a performing arts academy she describes as “the up-and-coming version” of London’s prestigious BRIT School, whose alumni include Adele and Winehouse. Her academic career didn’t last long, though: On her first day of classes she posted a TikTok of herself covering Finneas’ song “Break My Heart Again” that triggered a wave of interest from various record-industry types; soon she dropped out and began regularly traveling to Los Angeles to work on music.

Today Spiro says she has a “love-hate relationship” with the town where she estimates she spends half her time. “I’m very English, and I think something about English people is our honesty — you don’t really have to guess what people are saying. What was shocking to me when I came here was that people didn’t say what they meant.

“I was very, very lonely, and it was hard to make music when you feel that,” she adds. “I make sad music, but it’s hard to be a teenager and be away from your family and your friends and be in a place where you kind of have to play pretend being an adult.”

Did suffering among the two-faced liars of L.A. ever lead her to question her commitment to music?

“No. It just made me question how I was doing it. And not everyone’s a two-faced liar. There are some good ones out there.”

Was she ever at risk of becoming a two-faced liar herself?

“Oh, I’m too English for that,” she says. “If I did that, I’d get a slap.”

Sienna Spiro performs this week at the Troubadour in West Hollywood.

(Ariana Drehsler / For The Times)

Spiro started releasing singles in 2024 and quickly signed a deal with Capitol Records; last year she opened for Teddy Swims on the road and turned heads with “You Stole the Show,” a luxuriously gloomy slow jam with echoes of Adele’s “Skyfall.”

For “Die on This Hill,” which she wrote with Michael Pollack and Omer Fedi (both of whom went on to produce the song with Blake Slatkin), Spiro wanted to capture the feeling of “when you go above and beyond just to feel something reciprocated back from someone,” she says. But if the writing came quickly, the recording didn’t: Spiro jokes that she cut “900 different versions” of the song, including one she says sounded like Silk Sonic and another that sounded like Lauryn Hill.

“I was desperate for something up-tempo,” she says, given that virtually everything she’d dropped so far had been a ballad. Yet Fedi pushed her to cut the tune live with just her on vocals and Pollack on piano. They did four takes, according to the producer, one of which forms the basis of the record that eventually came out.

“Very old-school, very human,” Fedi says of the process. “Maybe I’m corny but with Sienna, less is really more. Her voice is so special, so big and upfront, that you just want to put a giant flashlight on it and let it shine.”

In early January, Spiro gave a bravura performance of “Die on This Hill” on Jimmy Fallon’s late-night show; one clip on TikTok has been viewed more than 70 million times. For that appearance, she wore a retro mini dress printed with an old photo of Johnny Carson behind his desk; for a recent performance in the BBC’s Live Lounge, she wore a different dress showing the faces of the four Beatles.

On stage at the Troubadour, her dress features images of the Chateau Marmont and the Capitol Records tower — a bit of setup, she says, for her next single, “The Visitor,” which is due March 13. Spiro has been slowly assembling her debut album for the past two years, but with headlining concerts to play, she’s reaching back for some of her oldies from 2024.

Some, not all.

“To be real with you, some of my early stuff wasn’t the most authentic,” she says as her drummer starts thwacking a snare during sound check . “I was trying to be someone else because I really wasn’t comfortable with myself.”

Can she point to an example?

“‘Back to Blonde,’” she says, referring to a vaguely Lana Del Rey-ish number about a woman who dyes her hair after killing a no-good lover. “I put it out for all the wrong reasons. It was a mistake — an inauthentic move that I regret making.”

What were the wrong reasons?

“It’s a long story, and it’s not very interesting. I didn’t do it because I loved the song — that’s what I’ll say. But at the end of the day it’s my name and I have to stand by it.”

Which is why she’s taking her time on the LP. Some artists her age don’t care much about the album format but Spiro is a true believer. Among her faves: Sinatra’s “In the Wee Small Hours,” Stevie Wonder’s “Songs in the Key of Life,” Adele’s “21” — “a perfect album,” she says — and Billie Eilish’s “Hit Me Hard and Soft.”

“I love an album where you don’t ever question why a song’s on there,” she says. “Where everything feels intentional.”

She doesn’t want to divulge too much about the work in progress. “The problem with me is I have a huge mouth and I give everything away,” she says, which — hey, great.

“No, I know it is for you,” she adds with a laugh. “But not for me, because then when I actually want to do the big reveal, I’ve got nothing because I’ve said it all.”

She will allow one detail: “It won’t be 12 ballads, I’ll tell you that.” She looks toward the ceiling, jiggling her head slightly, as though she’s doing some mental math regarding the track list.

“I mean, there’s a lot of ballads,” she says. “I just love a ballad — I can’t help it.”

WASHINGTON — Sens. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) called for the Department of Homeland Security to return a California woman with DACA who was recently deported a day after her green card interview.

DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, is the Obama-era program that since 2012 has shielded certain immigrants brought to the U.S. as children from deportation and allowed them to work legally.

Maria de Jesus Estrada Juarez lived in California for 27 years before being detained at her green card interview last month and deported within 24 hours, despite having active DACA protection and no criminal history. Her story was first reported by the Sacramento Bee.

On a call from Mexico on Thursday with reporters, Estrada Juarez, 42, said DACA was supposed to protect people like her who work hard and follow the rules.

“I did everything I could to build a stable life and give my daughter the opportunities that I never had,” she said. “But about two weeks ago, everything changed. I was wrongfully deported. In a single moment, nearly 30 years of my life were taken away from me — my home, my work, my community.”

Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment about Estrada’s case.

The detention and deportation of DACA recipients is in stark contrast to previous administrations, including the first Trump administration, and years of bipartisan support for immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. For admission into the program, they must pass background checks and meet certain educational or work requirements.

Trump has given mixed signals on DACA recipients, known as “Dreamers.” In his first term, he tried unsuccessfully to shut down the program. In December 2024 on “Meet the Press” he said that “I want to be able to work something out” on their behalf, but offered no specifics and the administration has done nothing to offer them extra protection.

The program’s fate has since remained embroiled in litigation.

Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas) said Homeland Security provided conflicting data to members of Congress about how many DACA recipients have been detained and deported since Trump returned to the White House.

In a Jan. 12 letter to Garcia, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that between Jan. 1 and Sept. 28 of 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement had arrested 270 DACA recipients. The letter did not say how many of those 270 were deported.

Of those, 130 had criminal convictions, 120 had pending criminal charges and 14 were in violation of immigration law, she wrote. That adds up to 264, not 270.

“Please note DACA is a form of prosecutorial discretion that does not confer lawful status,” wrote Noem, who was fired Thursday.

But in a letter to Durbin and other senators last month, Noem provided smaller numbers, though she addressed a longer time period, Jan. 1 to Nov. 19, 2025. She said the agency had arrested 261 DACA recipients and deported 86.

She said that of those arrested, 241 had criminal histories, though she did not specify if that meant convictions or pending charges.

On Wednesday, Garcia wrote back to Noem, saying, “The discrepancies between your two responses demonstrate gross incompetency or intentional misdirection.”

The conflicting data from Noem came after 95 members of Congress in September demanded answers about the targeting of DACA recipients. They wrote that letter after Tricia McLaughlin, the former Homeland Security public affairs secretary, said DACA recipients “are not automatically protected from deportation.”

The lawmakers cited the case of a deaf and non-verbal DACA recipient with no criminal history who was detained last year amid the immigration raids in Los Angeles. He was later released.

As of June 2025, there were more than 515,000 DACA recipients in the U.S., a decrease since the program’s peak of nearly 800,000. With 144,000, California has the most of any state, according to federal data.

Estrada Juarez did not take questions during the call Thurday with reporters, but Ivonne Rodriguez, press director for immigration reform at the advocacy group FWD.us, explained to The Times what happened.

Around 11 a.m. on Feb. 18, Estrada Juarez arrived with her daughter Damaris Bello, a 22-year-old U.S. citizen, at the John E. Moss Federal Building in Sacramento for an interview as part of the process to obtain legal permanent residency, or a green card.

At the courthouse, immigration agents took Estrada Juarez’s fingerprints and asked her to apply a fingerprint to a form saying she had agreed to be deported, Rodriguez said. She refused.

An officer told Estrada Juarez “If you don’t sign, I will make you sign.” The officer grabbed her hand and forced her to sign using her fingerprint, Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said federal agents cited a deportation order from 1998 during Estrada Juarez’s detention last month at the courthouse. But being a DACA recipient should mean that such orders are not acted upon while the protected status is active, so long as the person stays out of criminal trouble.

“She kept stating she had active DACA throughout the entire time and they did not care,” Rodriguez said.

By 8 a.m. the next morning, Estrada Juarez had been dropped off by bus in Tijuana, Rodriguez said.

Estrada Juarez is among many immigrants arrested for deportation at courthouses since last year, a practice that breaks from longstanding former procedure.

During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday on oversight of Homeland Security, Durbin asked Noem about Estrada Juarez and the other deported DACA recipients.

“Madam secretary, why have you deported dozens of DACA holders who had to comply with a criminal background check to be eligible for DACA?” Durbin asked.

“Sir, we follow all laws as applicable to the Department of Homeland Security,” Noem replied before Durbin cut her off.

“Why did you deport them?” he repeated.

Noem said she wasn’t familiar with the details of Estrada Juarez’s case but would look into it.

On the call Thursday with Estrada Juarez, Sen. Padilla (D-Calif.) said he met her daughter this week. He and other Democrats called for Congress to pass legislation that would permanently protect DACA recipients from deportation.

“DACA recipients did everything right and followed all the instructions laid out in the program,” he said. “They took the United States government at its word, and they’ve kept their end of the deal. But now we know that Donald Trump and Kristi Noem are breaking the government’s promise.”

Estrada Juarez said justice in her case would mean being allowed to return to the U.S.

“I’m not asking for a special treatment,” she said. “I’m asking for what is right. My deportation was wrong, and my family should not have to be torn apart. I just want to change to go home and hold my daughter again.”